serrell



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXR. BECKERS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BLOCK FOR HOLDING DAGUER-REOTYPEPLATES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 6,812, dated October 23, 184:9.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER BEcKERs, daguerreotypist, of the city of New York and State of New York, have invented and made and applied to use certain new and useful improvements in the means of holding daguerreotype-plates while polishing or cleaning them by so adapting a clip, acting at the diagonal corners ot a holding plate on the plate to be polished, that by a center on the back of the clip a pin on a cross-lever holds the apparatus on a rotary polishing chuck and allows a rotary movement to the plate that is polishing or cleaning on the chuck; for which improvements I seek Letters Patent of the United States, and that the said improvements are fully and substantially set forth and shown in the following description and in the drawing annexed to and making part of this specification, wherein- Figure l is a plan of the face. Fig. 2 is a plan of the back, and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a holding plate, thus fitted, and holding the plate to be polished.

The same letters and numbers, as marks of reference apply to the same parts, in each of the three figures.

In these a, is the holding plate, and b, is a diagonally placed piece of metal, behind the plate a, each corner, l, l, of the plate a, is taken off, and beveled inward to the tace, so that two opposite diagonal corners receive lips 5, 5, formed by so turning the ends of the cross piece b, upward and inward toward the center, that each lip forms a clip, on the bevels of the two diagonal corners on the plate a.

At 2, 2, are screws, having springs 3, 3, beneath their heads, the shafts of the screws 2, 2, going through the cross plate Z), and the thread ot' each screw taking the plate a, to hold the plate b.

In the center of the cross piece b, is a thumb screw c, the point of which comes against the back of the plate a, and in the center is a countersunk space 4L, opening to a center, punched into the back of the plate a; when thus completed this holding plate is to be used as follows: The screw c, is to be turned out, so as to leave the piece in contact with the back of the plate a, the lip clips 5, 5, will now admit the two diagonal corners of a daguerreotype plate, to be entered between them, and the beveled angles of the plate a, then by turning the screw c, 1n, the plate Z2, is so far detached from the plate a, that the lip clips 5, 5, press strongly on the two angles of the daguerreotype plate, and hold it tirmly on the face of the plate a; a small hand lever is to be attached by one end, to the frame, that carries the usual and well known rotary polishing chuck, so that the lever` may be moved, as a radius to a circle, whose center is at the point, where the end of the lever is attached, and at that part of the lever, which is on a line with the axis of the polishing chuck, a stud, or pin, is to be fixed so that the pin shall project downward, through the hole t, into the center hole in the plate a, below the thumb screw c, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3; and by means of the lever operated by the hand the plates, may be pressed upon and moved over it in alternate opposite directions on the face of the chuck, which chuck when put in rapid rot-ation, will give the plates a rotary motion, varied by the position of the plates on the chuck whether near the center, or near the edge ot' the chuck, and it held in one position, by the hand lever, the operat-ion of the polishing chuck will be slow, partial, and unequal, but by moving the lever and plate, across the polishing chuck, in alternate opposite directions, the chuck operates to bring an equal, clear, and effective polish, by the effect of the varying directions, in which the rotating plate is presented to the action of the revolving chuck; in most instances, the plate to be polished, is now held in the fingers of the operator, who partially gives to it, a corresponding motion over the face of the chuck, but has not the effective command of the plate, in all situations on the chuck, which this mode of itting the plate will give him.

IVhat I claim as new', and of my own invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The application of the cross piece Z), and lip clips 5, 5, with the thumb screw 0, to hold the plate to be polished, on the face of the plate a, the plate below the center t, of the thumb screw o, being itted to receive through an aperture in the center of theA screw a point, or stud, on a lever, by Which my signature, in the city of New' York, this the plate a, can be moved in alternate and twenty-seventh day of September, one thouopposite directions, across the face of a rosand eight hundred and forty eight.

tary chuck, for the purpose lof polishing, or ALEXR. BECKERS. 5 cleaning daguerreotype plates, substantially Witnesses:

as described and shown. W. SERRELL,

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set LEMUEL W'. SERRELL. 

